Cahaba River enhancements coming this fall

By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Enhancements will be made to the Cahaba River in Trussville beginning in September or October, according to Mayor Gene Melton.

The city of Trussville has hired North Carolina-based North State Environmental to enhance a stretch of the Cahaba River from Cherokee Drive to the Civitan Bridge at Civitan Park. North State Environmental was awarded the project with a bid of $828,299.46.

Melton said enhancements will include flood mitigation, steps to improve the river and river banks, and planting native species that will aid in controlling flooding.

Flooding over Civitan Bridge in Trussville in 2013photo courtesy of Terri Allen Finlay

Melton said he expects the enhancements to be complete by the end of December.

Melton said the city needed environmental credits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and this project will fulfill that obligation.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in August 2013 released the city and Trussville City Schools to move forward with construction of Hewitt-Trussville Stadium after University of Alabama researchers performed an archaeological dig at the site.

The greenway project at Civitan Park should enter its first phase by Aug. 1, Melton said last week. Bids were opened May 30 for the addressing of the parking area around the Veterans Memorial Monument and the sidewalks down to the Cahaba River. The apparent low bidder was Walker Patton Company, Inc. at $388,248.22. That work should be completed in October or November, Melton said.

A second project and the completion of the greenway project in Trussville will take place early next year, according to Alabama Department of Transportation officials.

ALDOT Preconstruction Engineer Lance Taylor said the second project will be done in early 2015 to address the remaining sidewalks and complete the construction that began some time back. Melton said the second phase should let for bid in December, with construction beginning in February 2015 or March 2015.

The $1.7 million greenway project began in April 2012 and was supposed to have been completed in the fall of 2012. The project has been in the works since 1998. The project is funded with a federal grant and administered by ALDOT. The city of Trussville has no supervisory authority over the contractor.